2U S I 
to spin the threads by the motion of the flyers, and to draw 
them off gradually from the bobbins, until the skeins upon 
the reel are made up to the requisite lengths. This is known 
by a train of wheel-work at nop, consisting of a pinion, n, 
fixed upon the principal spindle R, turning a wheel o, which 
has a pinion fixed to it, and turning a larger wheel p ; this 
has another wheel upon its spindle, with a pin fixed in it, 
which at every revolution raises a hammer, and strikes upon 
a bell, s, to inform the attendant that the skeins are made up 
to a proper length. When this machine is employed for the 
first operation of twisting the organzine, the wheel, h, must 
be larger, and the pinion, i, smaller than represented, in order 
that the reel, K, may be turned slowly, and threads will 
therefore receive a stronger and closer twist. Also, the 
handle B is turned in an opposite direction to that in which 
it must move for the final throwing off the two or three twisted 
threads together; and as it must also move for twisting the 
raw threads together for the warp of silk-stuffs, and for weav¬ 
ing stockings, this reverse movement makes no alteration in 
the machine, except that it will give twist in a contrary 
direction; for it is always necessary, when two or more 
twisted threads are combined by twisting, that the twist of 
the original threads shall be in the opposite direction to that 
twist which unites them into one thread, in the same man¬ 
ner as for making ropes, organzine silk being in fact small 
rope, and stocking-silk or warp being only yarn. The silk 
which is intended to be dyed, is previously twisted very 
slightly in this machine, and of course in that direction which 
will suit the purpose for which it is ultimately intended, viz., 
whether for yarn or organzine. 
The great mills for twisting silk, originally introduced by 
Messrs. Lombe, though very complicated, are simple in their 
operation, because the complexity arises from the great 
number of spindles which are actuated by the same move¬ 
ment, every one of which produces its effect independent of 
the others, and in the same manner as the oval which we 
have described. A machine is contained in a circular frame, 
of which the diameter varies from 11 to 13, 15, and even 17 
feet; but 15 feet is the general size of the original Piedmon¬ 
tese machines. In the centre of the frame is a perpendicular 
axis or spindle, coming up through the floor of the chamber, 
..and rising to the ceiling; it is put in motion by a commu¬ 
nication of wheelwork from a water-wheel or otherwise from 
a horse-wheel. The axis has upon it two, three, or four 
horizontal wheels, according to the height of the machine, 
which revolve with it, and are of a sufficient size to fill 
nearly all the interior of the circular frame, and act upon the 
pulleys or rollers of the spindles, which are supported ver¬ 
tically in the frame, and arranged round the machine, at 
equal distances, in a circle, the number being proportioned 
to the dimensions of the machine. The spindles are also 
arranged in as many different stages of height as there are 
wheels upon the vertical spindle; for the circumference of 
each wheel presses against the rollers of the spindles which 
are arranged round it; and thus, when the wheel revolves, it 
gives a very rapid motion to all the spindles at once, by the 
contact of the edge of the wheel, but without any strap, 
as in the oval. Each spindle has a bobbin, filled with silk, 
fitted upon the top of it, and from this the silk is carried up 
fo a horizontal reel, which is turned round slowly by the 
machine, and draws off the thread gradually from the bob¬ 
bin : the flyer, being all the while in rapid motion, twists 
the thread upon itself, or, if two or three threads are previ¬ 
ously wound together upon the bobbin, they will be twisted 
round each other. Each reel serves to take up the thread 
from several spindles which are situated beneath it: thus, in 
a mill of fifteen feet diameter, there will be six spindles 
beneath each reel. 
To explain this machine more clearly, we will give a 
description of one of thirteen feet diameter, which has four 
large wheels and stages of spindles, two of which are for 
giving the first preparation to the organzine: the spindles 
revolve in a direction from right to left. The spindles of the 
other two stages are for the finishing the twist; and also for 
L K. 
twisting the single threads which are to be used for warp or 
stocking-weaving: they revolve in a contrary direction to 
the former. The frame of the machine consists of two 
wooden circles of thirteen feet diameter, one placed upon the 
floor of the mill, and the other at a height of fifteen feet above, 
the two being united by fourteen upright pillars of wood, 
which altogether compose a large cylindrical frame or lan¬ 
tern. Each stage contains eighty-four iron spindles, placed 
Vertically, and supported in the stage, which is formed of two 
wooden circles, extended round between the fourteen up¬ 
rights of the lantern, and fixed one above the other, at about 
a distance of four inches asunder, so as to support the spindles 
between them, in the same manner as the pieces, G, H, of 
the oval last described. 
The circles of the stage are of a rather less diameter than 
the two circles which compose the top and bottom of the 
lantern ; so that the spindles will be rather within the circle 
of the frame of the lantern, aud admit the wheels of the 
centra] axis to act upon them. For this purpose, each of the 
circles of the stage is made up by fourteen segments fixed 
between the uprights, and each segment supports six spindles, 
making up the number of eighty-four in the whole circle. 
The'spindles, like those of the oval, are sharp-pointed at the 
lower end, and the points rest in small holes made in pieces 
of glass, which are let into the lower circle of the stage, 
whilst the upper circle sustains the spindle at a height of four 
or five inches above the point, leaving full one-third of the 
length of the spindle projecting above, for the purpose of 
fitting the bobbing upon it. The upper circle of the stage 
is rather smaller than the lower, because the spindles do not 
pass through it, but through holes in small pieces of hard 
wood, which project from it, so as to be exactly above the 
pieces of glass which sustain the points of the spindles. 
Each spindle has a small roller fixed upon it in the space 
between the two circles of the stage, and it is the contact of 
the rim of the great wheel upon these that causes the revolu¬ 
tion of the spindles when the wheel revolves. In order to 
make the contact certain, the exterior rim of the great cen¬ 
tral wheel is made in several segments, and each segment 
has a constant tendency to recede from the central axis by 
the action of a weight, and thus press against the rollers of 
the spindles. In order to give the reverse movement of the 
spindles, which we have before spoken of in the description 
of the oval, the great wheels for two of the stages are made 
differently from those which we have just described, so that 
the segments of the rim will act upon the outsides of the 
rollers of the spindles, instead of the insides; for this pur¬ 
pose the wheels are made larger than the stages in which the 
spindles are placed, and from the rim of the wheel small pil¬ 
lars rise up to support the segments, which act upon the 
rollers of the spindles in front or withoutside of the circles, 
instead of the inside, as is the case with the other stages, in 
consequence of which the spindles of these stages turn in 
opposite directions. The reels are placed over the bobbins, 
to take up the threads when twisted; and the rollers of the 
different spindles are made smaller or larger, as is required, 
to give more or less twist to the silk operated upon by them; 
for the velocity with which the spindles revolve, compared 
with the rate at which the reels take up the thread, deter¬ 
mines the degree of twist which the thread will have; and 
to render this equable, the reels which draw off the silk from 
the bobbins of the spindles are turned regularly with the 
motion of the machine by means of wheel-work, which is 
more easily conceived than described: it is sufficient to state 
that it receives its motion from the central vertical axis. 
There is also a layer adapted to each reel, with a wire-eye to 
receive each thread; and the layers having a slowly recipro¬ 
cating motion, distribute the threads regularly upon the 
reels, in a similar manner to that first described for the oval. 
One of these reels is placed between each of the uprights of 
the machine, so as to make fourteen reels in the whole circle 
of each stage, and every reel serves to take the silk from the 
bobbins of six spindles. The whole machine in the four 
stages contains 336 spindles. 
A machine 
